If It Wasn't For The Baby
by PeetaxKatnissx13RW
Summary: Katniss and Peeta are going back into the arena in the 3rd Quarter Quell. But how will they manage to survive when they're going in with Katniss pregnant? Set during Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Rated M for smut/language/graphic violence!
1. Chapter 1: Be With You Every Night

**Forget Peeta lied about Katniss being pregnant. What if she really was? Here's how I think it would have gone. Katniss' POV,not sure how many chapters yet. *Has no relation whatsoever to the rest of my fics,just a what if.***

"If it wasn't for the baby." Peeta muttered into the microphone.

I was shell shocked. We had _just_ figured out I was pregnant,and here he was,telling everyone in Panem before our families even knew. I could imagine Gale,Prim and my mother and how they must be reacting. Gale probably choking on air,my mother disappointed and nervous, and Prim...well, Prim more than likely excited,but hiding it. I happened to be looking at Haymitch when Peeta said it,and he looked half ready to murder Peeta and half giddy with excitement,because the sponsors were going to eat this up .

That night,Peeta followed me into my room.

"Kat...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud." He leaned forward and kissed me for a few seconds. When he pulled back,he tucked a flyaway hair behind my ear. "I mean it."

After I didn't respond,Peeta got up to leave.

"Peeta...wait. I want you to stay here...I'm scared."

He stopped at the door,turned around and crawled into bed with me.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" He smiled,laying his hand on my stomach.

"Of course,I could never stay mad at you." I smiled back and kissed him,pulling him as close as I could.

He moved his hand from my stomach to around my back and his finger was soon moving around the waistband of my pants,like he did every time we wound up having sex. I didn't fight it this time,because,how much worse of a situation could we get into anyway? The worst that could happen is Haymitch or Effie walking in on us. I take that back,we could be in a much worse situation. Still,I let him,as the rest of his hand found its way into my pants.

Just as I was getting into it,and my hand had found it's way into his pants, when Peeta stopped and pulled back. Sweaty and out of breath,he looked back at me, slightly horrified.

"Katniss...I-I..." He panted,but before he could finish,I kissed him. Shutting him up completely.

Satisfied,I started working his shirt off, and once I tossed it to the ground,he started on taking off mine. As I started tugging at his pants,I could tell Peeta was back into it,if you know what I mean. He threw my pants across the room just as I threw his,and he bit my ear as he slid himself inside me.

I obviously got way to comfortable with having the privacy to scream Peeta's name as much and as loud I wanted to,because not long after I did for the first time,someone was pounding at the door. Peeta stopped dead in his tracks and looked from me to the door in horror,and before either of us could decide what to do next,Haymitch was in my room.

"Whats going on!" He yelled drunkenly,standing in the doorway swinging a baseball bat around like the madman he is.

It took a good 5 minutes of bat swinging for him to realize there were no assailants in the room,and to finally look in our direction. Neither Peeta or I had budged,so he was still on top of me,and our clothes were still strewn around the room. Thank God we were under the covers,or else Haymitch would've gotten a decent eyeful.

"What the- Peeta? You there!" He shouted into the darkness. I could see Peeta bite his lip and cringe before answering.

"Umm,yeah...Haymitch?" He shouted back.

"What are you doing in Katniss' room? What is all this stuff on the floor?"

Peeta collapsed on top of me,and sighed in relief when he realized Haymitch was too drunk to know what was going on.

"It's nothing,Haymitch! Go back to bed. You're sleepwalking."

Before Haymitch had the chance to turn and leave,my worst fear was realized.

"What is going on in here!" Effie piped up from behind Haymitch.

""Ah shit..." Peeta whispered in my ear.

"I'm sleepwalking,Effie..." Haymitch mumbled before falling over,out cold,at her feet.

He carefully stepped over him and into the room,flicking on the lights.

"What are you two-" She chirped,realizing what was going on.

She turned around and kicked Haymitch until he woke up.

"Haymitch! Deal with this! You're their mentor!" She yelled before storming out of the room.

Haymitch stumbled across the room,jumping over our clothes,and landing face first on the floor on my side of the bed. Peeta leaned over me to see what happened and Haymitch looked up.

"Peeta...where's your..._OHHHHHHH!"_ He yelled. "You guys were..."

I smacked my face with the palm of my hand.

"Yes,Haymitch. We were having sex,thanks for killing the mood."

Peeta looked at me like I'd really lost it this time. More or less shocked I'd actually said the word 'sex'. To _Haymitch_.

This left us in an extremely awkward situation. We had Haymitch on the floor giggling and rolling around like a 5 year old girl,our clothes God knows where,and us stuck on the bed completely naked. But then,Haymitch does something completely unexpected. He catches his breath and stands up.

"Well,then. I'll...just let you finish then." Then he starts cackling like a maniac and walks toward the door,clicking off the light and closing the door.

I can guarantee you that an experience like that would make excellent birth control. But,oh wait,I'm already pregnant.


	2. Chapter 2: You & I'll Be Safe and Sound

**A/N: Really quick-I apologize for the chapter title...I can't help it...this song is amazing...and fits this chapter very well (: For full effect-I suggest putting it on replay. If you don't have it yet,look it up on YouTube!**

Peeta and I amazingly managed to sleep pretty well,until about 6 am,when I woke him up getting hit by a sudden wave of Morning Sickness. After that we spent the morning on the couch,me with my head in his lap,until we had to go train. At least the nausea subsided about halfway through,and I could get something accomplished...and hang Seneca Crane for the Gamemakers.

Back upstairs,Haymitch forced some food into me and Peeta and I spent the rest of the night just talking. We both knew we weren't going to get any sleep anyway. He started telling me that there was no way he was leaving my side the entire time,and I argued that he had to do what he had to do in able to survive.

"Kat...we both have to find a way out of there alive. Whether anyone decides to help us or not,we have to get out." Peeta said,putting his hand on my stomach. He's been doing that a lot,and I've grown to love it,I just feel safe...protected when he does. "Besides,I've got a family to protect now." he whispered and smiled down at his hand.

All day I'd been feeling something; well,_someone;_ moving around. I hadn't said anything to anyone,not even Peeta, and decided that now would be the perfect time. I slowly lifted his hand off my stomach and he looked at me and frowned,which turned into a smile when I put it back down in a new spot.

A few seconds later he stared giggling. "Did I just get kicked?"

I smiled and nodded. Peeta leaned in and kissed me. When he pulled back I yawned and put my head in his shoulder. We sat in silence for the longest time before I looked up at him again.

"Peeta...what are we going to do? In the arena,I mean. If things keep going the way they are..."

He thought about it for a minute.

"I'll look after you Katniss... Haymitch too."

"I know you will...but-" Peeta cut me off with another kiss.

"Don't worry about it. Just trust me." He wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear, "Nobody is going to hurt you. Or the baby. Not as long as I'm alive,and I promise you,I'm going to keep us all alive. All 3 of us are coming out of there."

"But how do you know that? Snow is going to kill everyone off if they let both of us win again." My voice quieted to the point I wasn't sure he would be able to hear.

"Don't worry,Kat. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Until then,worry about the here and now." He moved one of his hands back down to my stomach. "You just take care of our baby."

At around 3 in the morning,Haymitch walked out of his room and sat across from us. Peeta and I had been in the same spot for hours now,and since about midnight,he'd just been running his hand up and down my back.

"What are you two still doing up?" Haymitch grumbled.

"Can't sleep...don't want to." I mumbled back.

"Sounds like you want to,sweetheart. It'd probably be a good idea. You're pregnant,and there's no way you're getting as much sleep as you should be in the arena."

"The nightmares,Haymitch...they're worse then usual..."

"You're got Peeta,don't you? Go and get some rest,both of you."

Peeta looked down at me,waiting for an answer. I yawned again and nodded slightly. Peeta laughed quietly and helped me up.

"Night,Haymitch." Peeta whispered as we walked past and back to his room.

He tucked me in and climbed in on the other side,wrapping his arms around me and kissing my neck.

"I love you,Kat." He whispered.

"I love you too,Peeta..." I mumbled back.


	3. Chapter 3: Through The Wind and The Rain

I woke up the next morning completely alone. Had Peeta seriously left me? All alone? Before I had the chance to get mad,his bathroom door opened and I pretended to be asleep. He walked over to the side of the bad and kissed my cheek.

"Kat,I know you're awake. Sorry I wasn't here when you got up-I thought I'd have enough time to shower before you woke up."

He run his hand up and down my arm and I rolled over so I was looking at him. He leaned down and kissed me again. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. He still hadn't gotten dressed,and the encounter we had had 2 nights ago didn't seem to enter his mind. In his mind,it was just me and him.

To the both of us,we might as well been in our bed,back home,in the Victor's Village,in District 12. Instead of in the Capitol,probably about to die slow and painful deaths. Peeta swung his leg across my body so he was straddling me,without either of us coming up for air.

After a few seconds he moved to whisper in my ear- "So,you wanna finish up where we left off the other night,honey?" He asked,sliding his hand up my shirt. I put my hand of his face and moved his head to kiss him again,sliding the towel he had around his waist off and started slowly working his member .

"I'll take that as a yes..." he groaned,working my shirt over my head,and immediately after,my pants. Wasting no time pushing himself inside me.

This time I kept as quiet as possible,replacing screaming Peeta's name with biting his lip,as gently as I could,but still pretty hard. It drove him crazy,though. I know because he thrust into me harder and faster every time I bit his lip.

As usual,we climaxed simultaneously. Peeta threw his head back and then collapsed in a heap on top of me,before rolling off next to me and gently placing his hand on my stomach,reminding me that I'm pregnant,and making the moment slightly awkward. We just lay there,gazing into each others eyes and smiling,until my expression suddenly changed to worry and looked downward.

"What's wrong,Kat?" He asked,with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I just realized that might have been the last time we do that..." I trailed off,and Peeta cupped my face in his hand and softly kissed my lips.

"Maybe not. We just have faith that someone is going to get us out of there." A small smile crossed his face. "Maybe we could do it in the arena. The sponsors would eat that up!" He mimicked Haymitch's slightly drunken voice perfectly,and I couldn't help but laugh right along with him.

My eyes flitted to the door and back.

"Common,Haymitch. We'd better get dressed before Effie catches us again!" We both scrambled out of the bed and started throwing our clothes on. Just as I buttoned my pants,I got hit with another wave of severe nausea.

Glad I didn't have my shirt on yet,because the small amount of food I managed last night came right back up on the floor before I got the chance to get to the bathroom. Peeta jumped and ran over,grabbing the trashcan,and held my hair back. After we were both sure I was finished,he half lead,half carried me to the bathroom and cleaned me up. After that,he walked me out to the couch and let me lie down,and then he went running out to the table,grabbing a few rolls and a cup of hot chocolate for himself and some tea for me,as well as the trashcan and was back at my side.

Haymitch must have been worried by Peeta's rush,he came out to check on us.

"You feeling alright,sweetheart?" He asked,leaning over the back of the couch and pressing his wrist to my forehead.

"No better that usual..." I mumbled.

"She throw up again?" He asked Peeta.

"Yeah..." Peeta sighed,and looked at me as if asking for my approval of the next thing he told Haymitch. "...All over the bedroom floor."

Haymitch sighed. "Looks like I'd better do my best to keep a steady supply of anti-nausea medicine on you two in the games,or else,I can't see either of you surviving very long."

He leaned over and smoothed my hair,looking at me like I was utterly helpless. "I'm sorry,Katniss. This can't be easy on you,sweetheart."

Peeta reached into his pocket to get the medicine he had at all times and offered one to me. I took it quickly,and prayed to myself that it kicked in quickly. I looked myself over,noticing that I had even started to look pregnant. My stomach slightly rounder than it had been before. This would either keep me alive or kill me. Some tributes could see me as an easy target and pick me off in the bloodbath, or they would just hope something else killed me before they were forced too. I didn't want to have to think about this. But I didn't get the chance to say anything,because Haymitch beat me to it.

"I promise I will get you out of there. All of you. _Alive._ If I don't..." He slowly lifted his head to look at us. "I've failed as your mentor."

"Haymitch. Wait." Peeta and I both said,trying to call him back. But he had already left the room.


	4. Chapter 4: The Games Begin

**A/N: I really can't fit Mags into the storyline...so I think I'm just going to talk about Finnick,Johanna,Beetee and Wiress. They can all tie in in some way or another,I think. So it's going to be Johanna instead from the beginning. Does that make sense? Anyway,here we go...**

Peeta and I had a restless night,me on the couch,Peeta on the chair next to me. We had good reason,we had to go back into the arena in the morning. We managed a few bites of food,and just as we got out the door,I caught Haymitch slip Cinna a sheet of my anti-nausea medicine. It was then that it crossed my mind that he might have a plan to get us out,but I dismissed the thought.

In the launch room later that morning,Cinna helped me into what seemed to me like a wetsuit. I tried moving as much as possible,but it still seemed snug. Looking down at my feet,and barely being able to see the tips of my shoes,I sighed. My stomach must look bigger than it really is,but probably as big as it feels. Getting away from the Cornucopia and the other tributes is going to be hell.

"You think you need this?" Cinna's voice broke through my thoughts,in his hand,the sheet of medicine Haymitch had slipped him.

"I feel fine now...but probably a good idea just in case."

The time until 10 am seemed to crawl by. I tried imaging how Peeta must feel right now,probably pacing across the floor like the expectant father he is,worrying about me. But slowly,the time crept close enough to 10 for me to get ready on the launch pad.

"Good luck,Katniss." Was the last thing I heard before I was lifted up into the arena. Water. Everywhere. I spotted Peeta a few tributes away,looking exceptionally worried. I locked eyes with him until the last 5 seconds.

The gong sounded and I dived into the water,deciding to let Peeta try and grab something of use,and paddled farther away from the Cornucopia. He eventually caught up,along with the man from District 4,Finnick,and the woman from 7,Johanna I think her name is. We swam until we came to a marshy bank and made formal introductions.

"So,Allies?" Peeta asked,while,for some reason,dusting himself off.

"Guess so..." Johanna grumbled,it was becoming fairly obvious she thought partnering up with Peeta and I was a stupid idea,but I guess she thought Finnick was a good idea,and was sticking around not killing us because of him.

"First things first,lets get a lay of the land,here. Then, I say we head for that beach other there." Finnick explained,pointing over to a stretch of beach with a forest right next to it.

This,to me,was odd. No beach just abruptly stops where a forest starts. But it seemed like Finnick knew what he was talking about,so I decided to just keep my big mouth shut and just let him be in charge. Peeta,unfortunately, decided that he knew better,and decided to take the lead,soon walking himself straight into an invisible wall and knocking himself unconscious.

"Peeta!" I shrieked,and Finnick jumped in,flying on top of him and...kissing...him? After a few seconds,Peeta started to move again.

"What-the? Finnick,get offa me!" He yelled,pushing Finnick off him and running back to me.

"He just saved your life,you moron. You're the one that ran into a force field!" Johanna snapped. Peeta looked back utterly confused. Johanna sighed.

"This nut is you." She said,picking up a strange nut off the ground and throwing it as far as possible. The nut bounced back,slightly charred.

"Oh..." Peeta whispered. "Lets go..."

We must have walked for hours before finally stopping to make camp. Unfortunately,the anti-nausea medicine I had taken this morning has long worn off. We decided to make camp on the beach,luckily,and while Finnick and Johanna were going through our supplies,Peeta and I were by the water,him holding him hair back while I puked my guts out again.

And so the games have begun.


	5. Chapter 5: How To Save a Life

_**A/N: **Hey long time no see! But I have excuses that I don't exactly feel like explaining,so lets just get back to this. Oh,and it has come to my attention that someone else started something similar to this. Not sure if I should be offended or what. I don't exactly have the time or attention span to read through 15 chapters so if someone could tell me if it's anywhere near close to this,please do. It would really bug me if it was close._

The next few hours were hell. No,hell is an understatement. By the time Peeta and I made it back to where Johanna and Finnick were setting up camp,they were done. Long done. I already felt terrible,but knowing they had to do all the work made me feel even worse.

"Go lie down,Katniss. It's been a long day." Peeta said,leading me over to a woven shelter Finnick had constructed.

I didn't the the strength to argue,so I just tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. About 15 minutes later,Finnick brought over some nuts. He stayed and talked to me,but I'm sure he was just making sure I ate something. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold it down long,but I didn't say anything. Johanna and Peeta joined us a while later and we tried to make a plan.

"We still have to find water. The saltwater is undrinkable. And we need to find food other than these nuts. At least Finnick had the brains to know these wouldn't kill us and we have something,but we can't survive off just nuts."

Johanna was doing most of the talking,really. I didn't pick up too much of the conversation because I was going in and out of consciousness,curled up in Peeta's lap. Eventually,she,Peeta and Finnick set up a guard. It bothered me that they didn't put me in rotation,but knowing Peeta,he never would have allowed it anyway. Not in my condition anyway.

Nobody stayed asleep long,though. Because it started raining. But not normal rain. This rain stung. Finnick and Peeta packed the few things that were absolutely necessary for survival and we ran. The wall of rain and poisonous fog were right on our heels. Just when we thought we might have had it beat,Peeta tripped on a tree root,twisting his prosthetic leg.

"Katniss! Johanna! You keep going,I'll take care of him!" Finnick shouted. Johanna kept going,but I turned around anyway. There was no way I was leaving Peeta.

"Katniss,go!" Finnick shouted when he saw me again.

"No! I can't leave either of you behind!" I yelled back.

"Kat,listen to him! I'll be fine!" Peeta yelled.

I ignored him and started helping Finnick rip the vines that had tangled around Peeta's ankle off. When enough had come off,Finnick picked Peeta up,knowing that the rain and fog would engulf us before he had the chance to fix Peeta's leg. That would have to be done when we got farther away. He muttered something like 'stubborn girl" under his breath and we took off after Johanna.

My lungs were on fire. I knew deep down we wouldn't last much longer if this kept up much longer. We finally reached the beach,were Johanna was doubled over,half catching her breath and half dry heaving,which was making me feel sick just hearing. Finnick turned around just in time to see the fog and rain stop short and slowly disappear,like it was trapped in a box. Reassured,he put Peeta down. I sat down next to him and held his hand while Finnick jerked his leg back into place.

When I finally caught my breath,I noticed the bright red welts beginning to form all over my skin. These burned even more than my lungs had a short time ago,to the point where it was unbearable. Johanna escaped with just minor burns,but Finnick,Peeta and I had caught to the worst of it.

Peeta and I found ourselves at the water's edge,making sure I wasn't going to throw up any more,when I realized that one of my hands that had been underwater,had started to feel remarkably better. Like the poison was being sucked out by the saltwater. I put Peeta's hand under,and though he initially winced a the pain of saltwater on the open wounds,the water soon started clouding as the poison was cleared from his hand. We both shed our jumpsuits and submerged ourselves in the water.

"What are you two doing?" Johanna asked,scratching at a welt on her shoulder.

"Johanna,get Finnick over here. I think we just found a way to get the poison out." I replied. She looked at me like I was crazy at first,but eventually dragged Finnick over to the water and ripped his jumpsuit,as well as her own,off. We all spent a good half hour in the water,until we went back to the beach and regrouped.

_**A/N:** I know this is short (and probably terrible seeing as I'm writing this at like 1:30 in the morning) But,hey,an update is an update. I'm skipping around,to get to the good part faster. Because once the games are out of the way-this is going to be so much easier for me to write,since it'll be completely up to my imagination. _


	6. Chapter 6: Even If It Breaks Your Heart

_**A/N: I promise I'll update this more...there aren't that many more chapters in the arena anyways. The games are just soooooo hard to write. I really wanna do the whole thing justice and I just don't feel like I can. Anyway,I've decided I'm going to take this through until the end of the war. You can hold me to that,ok?**_

I'm not exactly sure how long I was asleep,but I _do_ know it was longer than I was supposed to. I looked next to me,and sure enough,there was Peeta,perfectly happy watching me sleep and playing with my hair.

"Peeta,you were supposed to wake me up to guard! How long have I been out?" I was tempted to yell at him,but I didn't need to wake up Finnick and Johanna.

"Kat,calm down. You need the sleep more than me. I don't mind taking your shift. Really." He calmly replied,still playing with my hair.

"But _I_ mind. Now get some sleep and let me take over." I snapped,shoving him off me.

"No,Katniss. Forget it. Besides,I have to wake Finnick up in about 15 minutes for his turn." He still sounded perfectly calm. At least one of us was,because I was freaking out on multiple levels,about multiple things. Including Peeta still running on the minimal sleep he had at the training center.

"Peeta,let Finnick sleep. I'll take it from here and wake you all up in the morning." I hissed,realizing it was probably somewhere around 3 am. Without a doubt,the cameras were right on us,since anyone with any brains would be sleeping or guarding camp at this hour,and not arguing with their fiancee.

"Katniss. I said no. You can stay up with Finnick if you want to,but not alone. It's not going to happen. He's just as concerned as I am." He reached over and put his hand on my rapidly growing stomach. I shoved him off again.

"Forget that! Just forget it! This is hard enough without you and Haymitch constantly bringing it up!" Out of nowhere,my voice broke and I started sobbing uncontrollably. Peeta came closer and wrapped his arms around me. Defeated,I let him hold me until I calmed down. Damn mood swings.

"Lemme wake Finnick up. You can either stay up with him or go back to sleep with me. It would make me feel better if you were with me,but your choice." Peeta whispered when I had finally cried myself out. I just fell against his chest,not exactly wanting him to let go,all of a sudden. Peeta must have taken that as an _I'll stay with you._

"Ok,Kat. Be right back." He kissed my forehead and stood up to make sure Finnick woke up.

I lay back down in the sand and put my hand on my stomach. I was actually starting to get worried,because it had been some time since I'd been kicked. Just about 24 hours. A lot had happened in that time,and there was no telling what could have happened without my knowing about it.

When Peeta returned,he had a silver parachute in his hand.

"Whats that?" I asked,remembering that Haymitch had promised to keep us with a steady supply of my nausea medication.

"A couple things." He said,sitting in the sand. "This..." He handed me exactly what I was suspecting. Good thing too,I was starting to get desperate,luckily adrenaline makes a nice substitute for my nausea medicine for a short time. "And Finnick and I have no idea what this is." He handed me a little metal cylinder. I took it and knew exactly what it was. A spiel. Except, those are usually used to get sap out of trees,and I couldn't exactly figure out why we would need tree sap. I explained what I was thinking to Peeta,and he was as confused as me.

"Lets try and figure it out in the morning. Lets try and get a little more sleep." He said,lying down next to me,sliding one arm around my shoulders,the other he put gently on my stomach. Without warning,he pulled me closer and kissed me. Actually kissed me,for the first time all day. When he finally came up for air,he was smiling. Looking from me to to my stomach.

"What was that for?" I said,smiling back. I put my hand on top of his and slid my fingers between his.

"No reason." Peeta shrugged and quickly kissed the back of my hand. "I love you..."

"I love you too Peeta..." I whispered,getting as close to him as I could. I fell asleep quickly. Peeta holding my hand tight. He seemed more...possessive,than usual with Finnick around. It bothered me,for some reason. Was Peeta still paranoid about loosing me? He had to know that me being pregnant with his child meant I was going nowhere...right?

_**A/N: More short chapter...sorry about that. With me,I stop when the mood is right. It's a habit I got into in like,the first grade. So I don't think It will be changing anytime soon. Does anyone read my Author's Notes anyway? Probably not,but if you don't-you need to. I tend to publicly explain things through my A/N just in case other people are confused too. Because the way my mind works...people get confused pretty often. Important details get lost and all that. Bad habit. Oh well...if it gets to be a week before I update this-feel free to spam the inbox.**_


	7. Chapter 7: Take a Breath,and Run

_**A/N: **Are you ready for this? Sorry I'm not getting to this as often as I would like,but I have like,3 or 4 other stories. One I'm working on the final chapter of,but because I'm stuck-might as well keep this going. I'm not exactly keeping timeline/accuracy with CF...but I don't care. Oh,you remember Chapter 3? You better,because it's coming back to haunt us..._

First thing in the morning,I explained the spiel to Finnick,Johanna,and the straggler Finnick picked up overnight-the man from District 3,Beetee. He explained that his district partner had gotten killed the day before. With explanations out of the way,I took my bow and sheath of arrows to go get us something to eat. Peeta and Finnick came along,Peeta to keep an eye on me,and Finnick to try and figure out why Haymitch sent us a spiel.

"We've been walking for half an hour and still haven't found anything." Peeta muttered from behind me.

"Shhhh." I hissed. "Either you shut up or I'll do it for you."

Not five minutes later a tree rat ran in front of me. I shot it through the nect before it know what hit him. I ripped my arrow out and re-sheathed it. I looked behind me at the boys and eyed Peeta.

"Told you I'd find us some food."

Peeta rolled his eyes and walked over,picking the rat up by it's tail.

"Is it just me,or is it's mouth wet?" He asked,holding the thing out for Finnick to see. Finnick held it up by it's bottom jaw and examined it closer.

"I think so." He said,dropping it again.

Before we had time to think about where it was getting water,we found out. Another rat ran up a nearby tree and sank it's teeth into the rubbery bark. I looked back at Finnick and he nodded. I shot the second tree rat out of the tree while Peeta and Finnick tried to get water out of the tree.

"Try and get it deeper." Finnick instructed Peeta. 

"I'm trying!" Peeta snapped,pressing the spiel harder with his palm.

"No,like this." I shoved Peeta out of the way and adjusted it so a trickle of water started coming out. Finnick reached out,but I slapped his hand before it got past my shoulder. "Let me do it,Finnick." I said,as I continued adjusting the spiel until a steady stream was pouring from it. Finnick handed me a woven bowl,and I filled it,and we passed it around between the 3 of us.

"We better head back to camp." Peeta said eventually.

"Probably right." Finnick said standing up,extending his hand to me. Peeta glared at him as he stood up and put his own hand out. I sighed and stood up,steadying myself with the tree.

Finnick shook his head as he pulled the spiel from the tree. I let Peeta carry one of the rats,since he insisted,and we headed back to camp.

Johanna and Beetee had collected some nuts,and along with the rat that we cooked with the force field,we ate a decent dinner. Finnick and Beetee went to bed early,leaving Peeta and I with Johanna. Not the most pleasant situation.

"If you want,Johanna,you can go to bed. Peeta and I'll take first watch." I finally told her,after an hour of expecting her to anyway.

"I thought you'd never say that." She mumbled as she crawled into the grass tent. That left just me and Peeta,alone on the beach. He sat behind me,with his arms wrapped around my waist. Just watching the water. Without much thought,I pushed him back and I rolled beside him,and kissed him fiercely. He looked surprised at first,but eventually calmed down and kissed me back with equal fervor. At some point,I crawled on top of him,tracing the outlines of his chest though his shirt. That's when he broke away from me.

"Katniss,what are you doing!" He hissed quietly,through shallow breaths.

"What?" I whined. "I though you liked that..."

"Kat,we're on national television!"

"So? They make kids watch the Games. They can't show that much."

"What are you-" He stopped mid-sentence,realizing what I was talking about.

"You said it yourself,the sponsors would eat this up..." I whispered seductively in his ear. Since I was still on top of him,I felt him go stiff under me. I smirked down at him and he turned bright red. I leaned back down to kiss him again,and after some slight prodding,he let his hands roam over my body the way mine were probing his.

"Kat.." He groaned against my lips as we kissed. After a few seconds,he gently flipped me onto my back. I didn't complain,the one time I'd been on top since I got pregnant,we were both uncomfortable. As long as he was gentle,and listened when I asked him to do something differently,both of us was more comfortable. I worked at tugging his boxers off,he eventually pulled them off with one hand,while holding me with the other.

"You sure?" Peeta whispered,holding the elastic on my underwear. I nodded and he ripped them off. He looked up at the rest of camp quickly,to make sure nobody had woken up. It didn't matter anyway,the whole country,or at least the gamemakers and Snow,were watching intently. Though,knowing Johanna,she'd want in on the action. Finnick probably too.

When I stopped my mind from wandering,I noticed Peeta was looking down at me,confused. I rolled my eyes and shifted my hips slightly closer to him. This seemed to bring him back to reality as he finished what I had started.

Luckily,we had trained ourselves to stay quiet at the Training Center. Being on such flat ground,Peeta had to hold my hips up with one hand. The elevation made me feel him more,and it was absolutely incredible. I made sure he went slow,which we haven't done since the first time we had slept together,on the victory tour,6 months ago when I conceived.

Peeta continuously groaned through our locked lips. I kept biting his bottom lip,and I accidentally nipped his tongue a few times. When we climaxed,it was all I could do to not scream his name. This time,the feeling was ten times more intense than ever,it must have been for Peeta too,because after he came once inside me,he came again not one minute later on my stomach. He smiled sheepishly,and smiled back. We both put ourselves back together,and waited out the last hour of our watch with lazy kisses and sheepish smiles. We had just had sex on _national television._

If Snow saw that,and still doesn't believe that I love Peeta,then he has another thing coming.

_**A/N:** I would bring that back. I scare myself sometimes. And my mom thinks my brother is the sex maniac. Oh well. Maybe this is just a "stage" and I'll get over it. Haha. Yeah right. As long as my sorry ass is single,this shall stick around. It's too much fun to give up this up that easy. Whenever I do get out of Singleville,Virginia; (population me) I'll still be writing sex scenes...they might even get worse! ;)_


	8. Chapter 8: If You're Heart Wears Thin

The next morning,Peeta and I are woken up by Johanna; gripping my wrist in one hand, Peeta's in the other.

"You two lovebirds need to get up and come with me." she hissed when Peeta and I finally woke up.

"What..?" Peeta mumbled before he was ripped up from the sand by Finnick,quickly followed by me.

"Don't as questions. Go. Now." Finnick snapped,thrusting my bow and remaining arrows at me. Before either of us could protest,Johanna was dragging us off into the woods.

"Johanna,what is-" I fumbled over my words.

"I'll explain later. Now shut up! If I have to tell either of you again,I'll shut you up permanently! Then neither of you will be of any use,and this whole thing would be a waste." Johanna snarled and pulled us deeper into the woods.

I looked to Peeta,hoping he had some idea about what she was talking about,but she looked just as confused as I was. My gut feeling that Finnick and Johanna were plotting to kill us off got stronger as we went farther into territory we hadn't explored.

After what felt like hours,Johanna pushed us ahead.

"You go hunt,or whatever it is you do." She pointed at me,then he glance shifted to Peeta. "You...you go with her." She pushed us further ahead. I hesitated,but eventually slinked slowly away and into the forest,with Peeta in tow.

Johanna was lost from sight quickly,but she reappeared almost as quickly as she disappeared. Beaming Peeta in the head with a rock,then proceeding me. Peeta was knocked unconscious on impact. Unfortunately,I wasn't as lucky. I tired shaking him back to reality,but without success. Johanna took her knife from her belt and cut into his arm. Flashbacks from last years games,at the feast,hit me hard. It almost felt like reality,reliving the whole thing again. Clove's knife slowly cutting into my lip, but this time,it wasn't my lip,but my arm.

"Stay still,kid..." Clove muttered-but it wasn't her voice. It was Johanna's. Eventually,her grip on my arm loosened and she took off into the distance. I slowly regained my composure and shook Peeta awake.

"What happened..." Peeta mumbled. He looked himself over,and jumped when he saw his arm.

"Calm down. I think I know what to do." I said,ripping the sleeve off my shirt and gathering leaves from around up.

"Katniss,are you sure another tourniquet is a good idea?" He murmured.

"Not my intention,Peeta." I said as I put a few leaves onto his wound and loosely tying my shirt sleeve around his arm. Essentially making a bandage good enough for now,but not for the long term. Once Peeta was taken care of,I ripped my other sleeve off,handed it to Peeta,and held a few leaves to my own wound.

"Alright Peeta,you saw what I did,right?"

"Yeah,just tell me how tight you want me to tie it. I don't want to hurt you." He said,and started wrapping my arm. I decided against protesting that when you're trying to stop an open wound from bleeding,that you don't worry about the person's comfort.

He eventually got it,and we attempted to assess our situation. I threw the closest solid object to what I assumed to be north,and sure enough,it zapped back slightly charred.

"We should go back south. Toward the beach. From there,we can easily make it back to camp." I finally directed Peeta,and started off in said direction.

"Kat. While I was out...did Johanna say anything about what is going on?" He whispered. I turned around and walked back over to him,and kissed his forehead lightly.

"No. Sorry,she didn't." I whispered back.

"It's ok." He took my hand in his and started walking.

"Lets get back to camp. Fast." He said,breaking into a run.

xxxxxxxxx

We got back to camp,to find everyone in chaos. Beetee running a wire from a tree on the far side of the forest,through the sea water,and into the woods where we were. All while Johanna was arguing with Finnick.

"Enobaria nearly got us. Had to chase her off right when I got that tracker out of the girl. Bitch outran me-" Johanna whispered,barely audibly from where Peeta and I were standing. We slowly moved closer,in hopes of finding out what in the world was going on.

"You left them there! Alone? We have to get out of here. Now." Finnick hissed,cutting her off mid-sentence. He turned his head slightly in our direction,but looked back to Johanna briefly before doing a double-take and noticing us. He shook his head and muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch. Only hearing the words 'last chance' and 'escape.' He picked up his trident and ran over to Beetee. Johanna followed. Without thinking I ran after them.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Johanna ran off to the side from Finnick,but I caught him just as he threw his trident at the force field. Without thinking,I shot an arrow. That's when Peeta caught up. He instinctively grabbed me and we fell about 3 yards away. But I was already slipping from the grip of reality. I had gotten hit with electricity at the same time as Finnick. Not with as much of a force,but I was close enough to get hit with the impact. 2 hovercrafts materialized in my small field of vision. The Capitol. It had to be. The first picked Johanna,Beetee, and Finnick. Finnick had to be dead. Or almost dead,I was sure of it. The second picked up Peeta and I.

I started to slip further into unconsciousness. This wasn't a Capitol hovercraft. It was an open area. The people inside looked more like soldiers. All except fro two. One was most definitely Haymitch. He was moving quickly toward us. The other looked like a gamemaker. But I wasn't sure who he was,and why he was here,looking worried. Gamemakers don't care about rebels. That's what we must be being called. Rebels. The last things I remember are Peeta and Haymitch. Both of them pleading from me to stay awake. I tried,but couldn't. The last thing I heard was Peeta- pleading through the sobs. Begging me to stay with him.


	9. Chapter 9: Let Go Your Heart

When I woke up,I found myself in a clean room,with the lights on far to bright. Someone was holding my hand,but I didn't have nearly enough strength to turn my head to see who it was. Soon,my eyes fluttered shut again,and I drifted back into unconsciousness.

xxxxxxxxx

The next time I woke up,someone was still holding my hand. I blinked a few times-the lights seem to have gotten brighter in the time since I was last conscious.

"Kat?" Peeta's voice came out of nowhere.

"Peeta?" The words slipped out before I realized that he was actually,truly,there,and not a dream,like his voice has been for quite some time now. I managed to look over at him and smile. A grin broke over his face and he leaned over to kiss me lightly.

"How long have you been sitting here?" I asked when he finally backed off to let me breathe again.

"Three or four days now. Not really sure." He responded,after some thought. "Do you know where we are?" He asked carefully,as if it was a sensitive subject.

"No,not really. Hospital,I'm pretty sure..." I said as I finally took in my surroundings. Peeta took a deep breath,and jumped into the explanation of where we were.

"We're in District 13. When we got rescued from the arena,it was by the rebels. Apparently,a rebellion has been secretly forming for years now. Plutarch Heavensbee,the head gamemaker,is involved. Haymitch,Finnick,Johanna,Beetee,everyone knew. Even Cinna and Portia. They all thought telling us would jeopardize the operation. They want us..." He paused,and eased into the end of his sentence. "They want us to be the symbols of the rebellion. As President Coin put it-the 'Mockingjays'." His hand found it's way to my stomach. I realized for the first time I had a monitor wrapped around me,but I wasn't sure what it did. "All of us." Peeta whispered,squeezing my hand gently.

He gave me a few minutes to process what he had just told me. A rebellion,District 13,this 'mockingjay' business,it was a lot to take in. But somehow,my mind kept going back to the annoyingly tight device wrapped around my abdomen. I shifted uncomfortably,and Peeta took notice,looking sympathetic.

"I told them you wouldn't like that. But they said it was necessary. It's a fetal heart rate monitor. I think they're more worried about the baby than they are you,to be honest. Well,except for your mom and Prim."

My mother and Prim? What are they doing here? Peeta,again,knew what I was going to ask before I asked it.

"Kat...as soon as the rebels broke through,the Capitol had to do _something. _This was already on national television. They couldn't just call it gamemaker interference." He stopped and took a deep breath. "They bombed District 12. The Capitol did. To scare any other rebel groups within the districts." He whispered,like it was still a raw nerve. "Gale saved as many people as possible. Most Seam families,a few from town-but not many. I-I do know...that my family didn't make it out."

"Peeta..." I whispered,trying to think of something I could say to make him feel better. Take away the pain. I finally decided the best I could do in my condition would be to just change the subject.

"What about the others? Finnick,Johanna and Beetee?"

"Johanna is fine. A little banged up here and there,but otherwise in perfect condition."

"So you and Johanna got off the easiest?" I joked. Peeta laughed and nodded.

"That's about right. Beetee has some nerve damage,very minor. He's in rehab,trying to get the feeling back in his legs. He's in a wheelchair,but he can get around. He and Gale are working together on this big weapon project. From what I hear,they're making you and new bow with some fancy arrows and Finnick a new trident." I smile at the prospect of a new bow,but the idea of 'fancy' arrows terrifies me. That could mean anything.

"But then there's Finnick. As of yesterday,he was stable enough to go off life support. His heart is beating on it's own now,and he can breathe by himself. They still have him on minimal oxygen,though. He's still in a coma,but they've been using your progress to determine what comes next with him. They're positive he'll pull through,though."

Before I can say anything,which wouldn't have been much to begin with,someone knocks on the door. It opens slightly and a young woman,someone I'm positive I've never met,sticks her head it.

"Peeta? Can I come in?" She asks quietly. Peeta nods and gestures to the extra chair by the wall.

"Oh,Katniss. This is Annie,Finnick's girlfriend from District 4. Finnick arranged for her to make it here before we we're rescued from the arena We've been keeping each other company for the past few days."

"Nice to meet you." I smile and reach my hand out. I never would have thought that Finnick would have a girlfriend. More like multiple lovers in the Capitol. I guess there are a lot of things a person can assume about Finnick Odair. I certainly haven't known him for being the world's most open individual.

"Nice to meet you,too. Peeta's told me a lot about you. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything, they made me leave Finn again..." She trailed off,and Peeta wrapped his arm around her. I don't object. On our first night in the arena,Finnick and I were talking,and he told me a little about her. I always just thought she was a friend,since he never said the word girlfriend. He was most likely trying to protect her,not saying much in case the cameras were around.

We talked for a while- telling stories,because besides the games and the rebellion,there unfortunately isn't much to talk about. Eventually,there was a knock on the door. Peeta and Annie turned around,and Prim walked in.

"Annie,they sent me to tell you that you can go back to Finn's room." Prim says quickly. Annie smiles and thanks Peeta and I and leaves the room. Prim was about to close the door,but quickly turned around.

"Katniss!" she squealed and ran over,wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Hey,Prim." I said with a laugh,wrapping one arm around her back.

_**A/N: **I'll end it there. I've had it with this chapter. :p Can someone please explain what they mean by grammar? I see nothing wrong with it,honestly. I don't know- my style here might just be a Washington DC/Southern thing. Maybe I'm slipping some of our language in here. If I get any legitimate reasons my grammar is as bad as people say it is,I'll consider a beta. But I honestly don't like the idea of complete strangers telling me how I should fix things. Besides,I do this for fun,not like I plan on getting paid._


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